CBeebies favourite Bing takes to the stage in Preston... and you could be a winner

Calling all Bingsters! Don’t forget, Bing and his friends are going on tour in the first ever Bing stage show.

Bing Live! will visit Preston Guild Hall on Wednesday and Thursday July 18 and 19, as part of a major UK tour in 2018.

And you can win some brilliant Bing goodies in the competition below.

Join Bing, Sula, Coco and Pando as they learn how to tell stories by pretending, dressing up and singing songs. Flop and Amma are there to help, but in this magical world of make-believe things don’t always go according to plan…

The CBeebies favourites are brought to life in a brand new stage production full of fun, laughter, music and magical puppetry. Bing Live! is the perfect first theatre trip for pre-schoolers and their families.

Bing Live! is produced by Minor Entertainment (In the Night Garden Live) and directed by Will Tuckett, guest principal character artist of the Royal Ballet, whose production of Wind in the Willows won an Olivier Award for Best Entertainment in 2014.

Bing and Flop at the theatre

The show will also bring together a first-class creative team to ensure a quality family entertainment stage show for audiences of all ages. Bing is adapted for the stage by Helen Eastman with costumes and puppet design by Tahra Zafar. As Head of Costume, Hair and Make-up for the Olympic and Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies staged in London, 2012, Tahra managed the production of 23,000 costumes for all four ceremonies. Her film projects include: Star Wars VII The Force Awakens, X Men-First Class, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and The Fifth Element and for television: In the Night Garden, Zingzillas and The Adventures of Abney and Teal.

Since its launch on CBeebies, Bing has been a huge ratings hit and it’s the number one top rated pre-school show on BBC iPlayer. Celebrating the joyful, messy, reality of pre-school life, Bing finds the big stories in the smallest moments that little ones and the grown-ups in their lives will recognise…whether it’s dropping your ice-cream or losing your favourite toy.

The series has won an International Emmy Award in the Kids’ Pre-School category in 2016, a Writer’s Guild Award and a BAFTA nomination for Best Pre-School Series. The animated series, which saw Mark Rylance make his children’s television debut voicing Flop, is produced by Acamar Films.

Andrew Collier, Creative Director of Minor Entertainment, said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing Bing to the stage – we know families throughout the UK love Bing as much as we do, and we can’t wait to see children’s faces light up when they meet him at the theatre for the first time.”

Mikael Shields, CEO of Acamar Films and producer of Bing, said: “Seeing Bing take a leap from the screen to the stage is hugely exciting. We are thrilled to be working with Minor Entertainment to bring the Bing Live! shows to our young audience. Introducing Bing fans to possibly their first experience of theatre is a tremendous creative challenge and Minor has shown imaginative flair, exceptional attention to detail, and their passion for bringing preschool characters to life has been evident throughout our collaboration with them.”

The shows are on July 18 and 19 at 1pm and 4pm Wednesday, 10am and 1pm Thursday. Tickets are £18.50; 12 months to 16 years £16.50; for under 12 months tickets, ask at the box office on 01772 80 44 44 or go online at www.prestonguildhall.co.uk

To celebrate Bing’s first ever live stage show coming to Preston on July 18 and 19, Bing are giving away a goody bag full of wonderful Bing things. To be in with a chance of winning a Coco teddy, Bing DVD and much more, head to prestonguildhall.co.uk/shows/bing-live and download their colouring competition sheet. Get creative, then post your entry and contact details to: Bing Marketing, Preston Guild Hall, Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 1HT or scan and send to info@prestonguildhall.co.uk

Entries must be completed by June 30 and the winner announced soon after.